2009 June 23 « 12 Films. 12 Weeks. There are worse ways to spend a summer.

Inside 12in12: Thomas Crilley

June 23, 2009 at 6:18 pm | Posted in Mike Lavoie | 2 Comments
Tags: "meat flag", dirty jobs, soldiering

Everybody is comfortable except Tom

Tom Crilley was recommended to this project by his cousin, “Dock Guy” James Fauvell. He just graduated from SUNY Binghamton, doesn’t drink much and works his ass off. He is our gaffer, which means he works with the lighting. Because we haven’t gotten around to buying C-stands, he is often holding bounce cards in front of lights for hours; even posing as a “meat flag” by blocking the light with his body.

He can be seen crouching uncomfortably in this video and ducking from the blinding light inches from his face in the photo below, from the set of “Old Love.”

The worst job. The best man.

Basically, Tom is a soldier, and a damn good one. His example reminds me of the advice all film-types are given when they first walk on the set: “Just shut the fuck up and do your job.”

Thomas P. Crilley, 12in12 salutes you!

Posted by Mike

In Which We Throw Caution to the Winds

June 23, 2009 at 1:05 am | Posted in Keith Boynton | 4 Comments
Tags: adventure, improvisation, risk, taking chances

Part of the point of 12in12 is to stretch ourselves. Take risks. Take chances. Embrace challenges we might not be willing to take on in another context.

We may be overdoing it.

This weekend, in place of the scheduled “Whiteboard” — a film with an actual script, a film with a script we like, a film with a beginning, middle, and end — we’re going to be shooting an improvised film. A film with a premise, a set of actors, a cool location — and nothing else. No witty scripted dialogue. No scripted dialogue at all. Basically, we’re going to be flying by the seat of our pants, in a way we haven’t done since — well, since ever. Even “The Queen Bee of Mushroomtown” had a script, albeit a frequently renegotiated one. In a very real sense, we have no idea what we’ll be doing this weekend.

And I couldn’t be more excited.

Why are we doing this? Why are we jettisoning the familiar in favor of the unknown? Why are we risking abject failure in the name of a dimly-glimpsed vision of a possibly worthwhile film?

I dunno. Why not?

It should be fun. It should be interesting. We’ll let you know how it goes.

No, scratch that. You’ll let us know how it goes.

Posted by Keith

P.S. Cast announcement soon!